In the old days, they used a mask and a gun. Today, they just put a sign on a machine telling you how much you have to fork over.

I had a low tire, pulled into the fist service station I came to and had to pay a buck for air. I know that many places are now charging 75 cents which is outrageous enough, but a buck is really pushing the limits. Today, it's air in our tires. Tomorrow, we'll probably be charged for every breath we take.

I really believe it all comes back to the green light that Bush has been giving to businesses for seven years now. "Squeeze every last cent out of the peasants. I won't stop you."

10. Actually, it ended up costing more than a buck. I tore one knee of

Edited on Fri Dec-14-07 05:48 PM by Cyrano

my slacks on the concrete while kneeling down. I can't blame Bush for that, but maybe I can sue car designers who make us kneel to use an air compressor. (Maybe it's a fundie plot to get us all on our knees?)

They had to buy the air compressor, they pay for the electricity that operates the compressor, they may have to pay for the cooling water that cools the compressor. Why are they not entitled to make something from their investment.

5. And the the compressor always shuts off as I'm getting to the last tire

I paid 75 cents the other day and had to deposit 75 cents more. Tomorrow it might be $2.00 and the compressor is a laid-off American worker with a straw and good set of lungs, who's being paid $1.25 an hour.

Get a few things at the store and you'll save time, money and stress later:a bottle of Fix-A-Flat,12 volt compressor, jump-box, Flash-lightsockets, wrenches, and pliersfire-extinguisherHaynes repair manual for your car

Keep these in a box in the trunk, and familiarize yourself with how to use them.

15. Try telling the clerk about it when it doesn't work and it takes your money.

"That's not ours. You'll have to call the 800 number that's written on the air pump."

So you go outside to use their pay phone to call the frickin' 800 number about the damn air compressor that took your money and the damn pay phone takes your money. You go back inside to tell the clerk about the damn pay phone that took your money and of course the clerk says "That's not ours. You'll have to call .... "

I don't think anyone could pay me enough money to work in a convenience store. Sometimes I think the reason they get held up so much is purely out of revenge.

Now we will have to pay for air. Air is the next substance to be defined as a utility. You will be billed based on your age and lung capacity. Also some consideration will be given to the measurement of methane expelled against the amount of air inhaled.

In the old days, most filling stations were also car repair facilities. One of the most used tools in any car repair facility is an air compressor. Not the type the turns on the electricity then pumps air on demand, but the type that stores it in a huge storage tank. Most repair tools common with automobiles are air powered due to the explosive nature of gasoline, hence, they're much safer to use around gasoline fumes.

So, in the old days, there was this repair infrastructure at most gas stations that had excess compressed air capacity because it was needed for lifts, tools, and many other uses. The air pump would run until the tank reached a maximum pressure, usually above 120 PSI (or more), then switch off. When the tank reached a lower pressure of about 90 PSI, or thereabouts, the motor would switch on to compress more air into the tank. When air was needed for any purpose, the amount of air available in a minute was not related to the pumping capacity of the compressor, but rather, the size of the pipe and hoses leading out of the storage tank, and the size of the tank itself. When you wanted to fill a tire, it would fill rather quickly using commonly designed systems.

Enter the food mini-mart and exit the repair facility. Now, you rarely see a station that sells retail gas that also has a repair facility, instead they sell chips, snacks, drinks, and gasoline. In these types of facilities, creating compressed air for tires is likely a burden, so, the need to charge extra for air, and the inability to have the type of compressor that fills tires quickly, but instead has a coin-operated machine that pumps air slowly upon demand. These systems do not use a storage tank, but the compressor is creating the higher pressure as it's needed. Consequently, it often takes longer to fill the tires because larger on-demand air compressors cost more money and use larger motors (until you get the storage tank type systems that don't compress-on-demand, then they start costing less, surprisingly enough.) With these systems, you'll often find that it takes several minutes to fill a tire, rather than 10 seconds from the storage tank type systems.

Management at these types of places probably know more about where to buy chips, and how to create ledger entries or count beans, than they know about how to use a screwdriver or wrench.

These days, it's probably best to get one of those 12-volt mini air compressors and carry it in the trunk of your car.

There used to be people who came out and pumped your gas, cleaned your windshield, checked your tires, checked your water, battery, oil, brake fluid, and clutch fluid and gave you free dishes or drinking glasses. It was part of the cost of doing business and businesses were still able to make money and attract even more customers by doing this. Now there's a guy selling potato chips and cigarettes in a little store who has no idea about cars and just takes your credit card to let you pump your own gas. This latest charge for air is just another sign that the quality of life in America has gone down.

I have one that I keep in my car at all times. Believe me it has come in handy on several occasions. My tire pressure tends to have a very slow leak. So, I whip out my compressor and presto, I have a fully inflated tire and it didn't cost me a cent. I've had it for a long long time. Really has paid for itself over the years.

Maybe you could ask for one for xmas. Mine has emergency lights, compressor, and flashlight.

And of course it's outrages that you are charged for air. Back in the old days of full service stations they would check your tires, air them up if they needed it, and it was free.

that does not stop some station owners from charging, however. I usually patronize Hess stations and have not run across one that charges for air. I also heard that they were the only Blue oil company too.

YOU are filling your tires. They, are simply providing the machine to pump what we exist IN into our tires. It's not processed, drilled, or refined. Once the machine is paid for, then it should be free.

I pulled in at a Firestone store and asked them nicely if they would help me out and they said "Sure! Pull right in to that first lane" The second fella filled the offending tire and checked the other three for me while he was at it, though I hadn't asked him to. And I didn't even have to get out of the car in the rainy, sleety weather.

And I'll remember how well I was treated there when I need new tires, too.

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